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    Back to Hollywood Breakdown

    Hollywood Breakdown

    What the new "no quotes" law means for pilot season

    A special TV breakdown with Lesley Goldberg. A new law in California means studios cannot ask TV actors what they made on previous jobs, which is a good thing for actors who have been stymied by low pay in the past.

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    KCRW placeholderBy Matthew Belloni • Mar 22, 2018 • 3m Listen

    In the age of streaming, the traditional broadcast TV pilot season feels like a relic of the past. Still, this year there are more than 70 shows hoping to land a place in a broadcast lineup and hopefully become the next "Empire" or "This is Us." But a lot of actors aren't wanting to take that gamble and are instead opting to go with opportunities on series on Hulu or Netflix that typically offer better upfront benefits and an easier filming schedule. And there's another change in the process this year as well. When hiring an actor in California, studios can no longer ask what they were paid at a previous job. This "quotes" system was the widely used system in the past, and as a result, often kept pay lower for women and diverse actors. Now, in theory, actors should be offered salaries that are more in line with their male costars.

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      Matthew Belloni

      founding partner of Puck News

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Kim Masters

      partner/writer at Puck News, host of KCRW's “The Business.”

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      Kaitlin Parker

      Producer, 'The Business' and 'Hollywood Breakdown'

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